U.S. Senate confirms Fargo trial judge to federal appeals court

The Senate voted ninety five to 1 on Thursday, Sept. 28, to verify Erickson, a U.S. District Courtroom decide in Fargo, to the eighth U.S. Circuit Courtroom of Appeals, which is predicated in St. Louis and in addition hears instances in St. Paul.

Throughout a break within the trial, Erickson had a second to problem a press release of gratitude.

“I’m very grateful to President Trump and the USA Senate for the belief that they’ve positioned in me,” he stated. “I might be remiss if I didn’t give a particular because of Senator John Hoeven and Senator Heidi Heitkamp for his or her help throughout this course of and in a really particular means, the individuals of North Dakota who’ve allowed me to serve them as a trial decide these previous 24 years.”

Erickson was nominated by Trump in June and appeared earlier than the Senate Judiciary Committee to reply questions in July. The committee unanimously accepted his nomination. He had the help of each Hoeven, R-N.D., and Heitkamp, D-N.D.

“Decide Erickson has a distinguished document of service to our state and nation, which has aided him all through this affirmation course of,” Hoeven stated in a press release. “We welcome him to his new position on the eighth Circuit and sit up for his continued work to uphold our founding rules within the Structure and keep the rule of regulation.”

Heitkamp, a former North Dakota lawyer basic, praised Erickson’s “expertise and empathy” in addition to his understanding of sovereignty and treaty rights of North Dakota tribes.

“All through his lengthy authorized profession in North Dakota, Decide Erickson has earned the respect and admiration of not solely Republican and Democrats in North Dakota — however of legal professionals and people who’ve appeared earlier than him on each side of the problems.”

Erickson has served as a federal trial courtroom decide in Fargo for 14 years and beforehand served virtually 10 years as a county and state decide in Cass County. He has presided over virtually 500 instances in his years on the bench and in addition crammed in on the eighth Circuit in ninety two instances.

The decide has been candid about his earlier struggles with alcohol, which he typically talked about in sentencing hearings, when encouraging defendants to straighten out their lives and take a extra productive path.

“I’ve an perception into private failures that I might not have if I had not had this specific drawback and as a decide it permits me to chorus from judging different individuals,” Erickson advised a publication of the College of North Dakota Faculty of Regulation in 2007.